516 WORDS: Sherwin Bitsui & Luci Tapahonso

516 WORDS: Sherwin Bitsui & Luci Tapahonso

a literary series presented by 516 ARTS

516 ARTS welcomes renowned Native American poets Luci Tapahonso and Sherwin Bitsui for a reading in the gallery in conjunction with the exhibitions Air, Land, Seed and Octopus Dreams. At this event 516 ARTS will also honor LaDonna Harris in recognition of the work she has done with Americans for Indian Opportunity (www.aio.org).

Sherwin Bitsui is originally from White Cone, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. He is Diné of the Todich'ii'nii (Bitter Water Clan), born for the Tl'izilani (Many Goats Clan). He holds a BA from University of Arizona and an AFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. His recent honors include a 2011 Lannan Foundation Literary Fellowship and a 2011 Native Arts & Culture Foundation Arts Fellowship. Bitsui's poems have appeared in numerous publications and were anthologized in Between Water & Song, Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century. He is the author of Shapeshift and Flood Song.

Luci Tapahonso is originally from Shiprock, New Mexico and is currently a Professor of English at the University of New Mexico. She is the author of three children’s books and six books of poetry including A Radiant Curve, which was awarded the Arizona Book Award for Poetry in 2009. She received the 2006 “Lifetime Achievement” award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas, and is the recipient of a number of other awards. The Native Writers Circle of the Americas named Tapahonso the 1999 “Storyteller of the Year.” Her work has appeared in many print and media productions in the U.S. and internationally, and has been translated into German, Italian and French.

Special Thanks to Cuisine del Corazón, Chef Billy Brown.

516 WORDS is made possible in part by Arturo Sandoval in memory of Anna Kavanaugh Sandoval.